Man City have hijacked a £46m deal that would have seen rivals Man United sign Benfica midfielder Renato Sanches.

Sanches is set to leave Benfica for Manchester. Credit: PA

According to reports in Portugal, Pep Guardiola was so impressed with the 18 year old during Bayern Munich's two Champions League ties against Benfica that he instructed City officials to pursue the teenager immediately.

With the media reporting that United are on the brink of confirming the Portuguese international, it remains to be seen whether he favours a move to the blue half of Manchester.

After starring for Benfica's B team in 2014/15, Sanchez forced his way into the first team in October 2015, two months after celebrating his 18th birthday.

A string of commanding performances since then earned Sanches his first two senior Portugal caps as he began drawing comparisons with Paul Pogba, the French international whose loss at Old Trafford still rankles with the club's hierarchy.

One key factor in the chase for Sanches could boil down to whether Jose Mourinho replaces Louis van Gaal in the summer, since Mourinho and Sanches are both represented by Portuguese super agent Jorge Mendes.

Wolfsburg's director of sport Klaus Allofs admits the ongoing rumours surrounding the future of Kevin De Bruyne is affecting the Belgian midfielders' performances after the Wolves were held to a 1-1 draw by Cologne on Saturday.

De Bruyne has been linked with a £50m move to Man City. Credit: PA

Manchester City are expected to make a bid for last season's Bundesliga Player of the Year this week, with reports claiming they have already struck an agreement over terms with the player.

De Bruyne has looked a shadow of his usual self in Wolfsburg's opening two Bundesliga fixtures and Allofs fears the uncertainty about his future is having a negative influence.

"It's true, of course, that it's having an effect on us," Allofs told Sky Sport Deutschland. "But we must not start to complain.

"I will not accept that as an excuse. We have got to learn how to deal with these disturbances and this uncertainty."